Which is better caterham and westfield

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Learn More. Caterham v Westfield Discussion in ' Motors ' started by tonyyeb , 24 Feb Show only OP. Hi guys I've always been a fan of Lotus 7 style cars. In the near future next year or two i hope to look closer at buying one. Without knowing more why would that be? Caterham bought the rights from Lotus they are the "real deal" Westfields are replicas. Is a Caterham 'worth' the extra? Will i get better reliability, performance, enjoyment etc? People are willing to pay for the heritage of a Caterham, and this has been driving Westfield residuals down.

Caterham bought the rights to "7" off Lotus, and use a narrower chassis design than a Westfield. What is the Fuel Calculator? Compare two cars to find the lowest fuel cost. Search the forum. Caterham or Westfield? Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion. View Threaded. Thu 17 Aug Reply Report as offensive Link. Value my car , miles buy or sell?

Elsewhere on. Money Saving Offers, Deals and Discounts. Keyless theft: What is it and how do you stop it? Westfield never really took the Miata-based car very seriously, there were some fundamental problems in things like clutch pedal motion ratios that never got addressed. I like the looks of the Caterham and the Birkin more as well. The is going to be a very different driving experience.

Tall, single seater, loads of slip angle. I'm out of date for sure, the USA forum used to be the smaller cousin. There was an individual on that forum that drove me off years ago as well so I kinda gave up on it. They serve zero practical purposes for me but the want is so strong for one. Unsure if I would stay true to the high rpm small displacement or go nutty with something modern and turbo or pushrod The Caterhams and Birkins are my fav on appearance as I am not educated on the topic enough to base this one merit.

I've had several "7 replica's" over the years. A true do-it-all toy at the time. Fast forward and I still have 2 of those "kits", one sitting on a shelf and the other being built currently as time allows. I also have a Rotus which was built by Chris Custer in Maryland. These cars, in my experience and for whatever reason, tend to rattle every damn fastener loose!

Don't know why, but hitting everything with a wrench, loctite and safety wire is a good idea occasionally. Caterhams are the pinnacle of 7-esque ownership but come with a hefty cost depending on the specs. The most basic spec cars trade on the used market for mid 20's. LoCosts are all over the place, but decent finished examples go for mid teen's.

LOTS of unbelievably talented fabricators post there. There are numerous Stalkers out there powered by 3. Stalker is still making kits. Stalkers are fundamentally Locosts in design. They're fairly large, which makes a surprising difference to the feel.

Again, big, but what a great package for that engine. I've driven ones with high compression snappy engines and with turbo engines. The latter is fast but the "softness" of turbo power delivery is very obvious when everything else is so immediate.

It did not suit the car. Bike engines, on the other hand, are a riot. But more difficult to build and not as streetable. It seems like whenever you find an "uncompleted Lotus" or "Lotus frame", it's an RM. I swear someone sprinkled hundreds of them across North America about 25 years ago.

If you're seriously considering a Caterham, you're pretty well-heeled. IMO, going Caterham is paying a premium for the nameplate, which is fine but not my cup of tea. If you want a car with a recognizable nameplate I'd go with a Birkin or a Superformance. Please don't take this the wrong way, but "if you need to ask this question then I suggest that you buy a Westfield". I live within 20 miles of Westfield and whilst they are fine cars, build, performance and handling there is sadly only one that counts.

Rob, no worries, I live 20 miles from Caterham and I am trying to work out whether its worth a trip to Westfield to try one out, as I have never seen one in the flesh. Mike, the exact reverse is the true situation in the west mids. If you are considering travelling up to test a westfield, then please let me now when so that we can meet, why not stop over at our house.

Finally the Westies are out at the sprint track this Sunday! V7 SLR. Hmm, this is an L7 club web site forum, so I think asking this kind of question here is somewhat naive, if you pardon me for saying so. You are not likely to get an impartial response here are you? To declare my allegiance, I own a Caterham SLR, and cannot see myself owning any Se7en other than a Caterham, but that's not to say they are better than all the rest.